The Chicago Bulls acquired Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets as part of a four-team trade in the offseason.
It was one of the first moves made by new executive vice president Bryson Graham. Claxton was expected to provide stability on defense, but his Bulls debut has been delayed due to a left hamstring injury.
The Bulls diagnosed him with a strained left hamstring at training camp. He missed the entire preseason and the first six games of the season.
Bulls Upgrade Nic Claxton Status for Sixers Game
On Sunday, the Chicago Bulls released their injury report against the Philadelphia 76ers.
They have three players on the report: Nic Claxton, Jalen Smith and Tobe Awaka.
Smith and Awaka are listed as probable, which means they are more than likely to be upgraded to available before the start of the game.
On the other hand, the Bulls have upgraded Claxton from out to doubtful. He has been listed as out for the first six games, and this was the first time he has been tagged as doubtful.
It means Claxton is nearing his return, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be cleared against the Sixers.
According to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, coach Tiago Splitter told reporters on Sunday that Claxton was a full participant in practice.
However, Splitter was non-committal about Claxton making his debut on the road in Philadelphia. He still considers the big man day-to-day since he wants him to play two full practices.
“FWIW, Splitter wouldn’t say earlier today if they have a date circled for Claxton’s debut. Said they’d take it day by day to see how his body feels after practices, see if he can put two practices together, etc,” Lorenzi tweeted.
Bulls This Season
Despite excitement surrounding the Chicago Bulls in the offseason, they weren’t expected to contend in the Eastern Conference. There was some hope that they could make some noise, but they are struggling in the first two weeks of the season.
The Bulls began their new era with a blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors. They followed it up with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks, but it has gone downhill from there.
The Bulls have lost four straight games to the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics twice.
Granted, their schedule is tough, but they still have time to adjust and possibly start winning some games.
Chicago Bulls Upgrade Nic Claxton Injury Status Ahead of Sixers Matchup